Eight Seconds by Frances Dall'Alba

Author:Frances Dall'Alba
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Poinsettia Publishing

CHAPTER 20

Present Day

Erin shut herself into her bedroom-cum-office and worked on Grace’s report all afternoon. The closer it got to five pm, the harder she pounded the keys on her laptop. At four thirty, she saved the file and slammed the laptop closed.

After a rushed explanation to her grandmother, she drove back into town. The vet surgery was on the outskirts of Malanda. A small town with its beating heart beside the iconic Malanda Falls. It amazed Erin that an expanse of rainforest on the edge of town hid a waterfall and swimming spot—all within walking distance of the compact business centre.

Unease, mixed with nerves, had her driving slightly over the speed limit. She pressed her foot on the brake and took a deep breath to calm down. A job up here meant living on the Tablelands. Her grandparents had offered for her to stay with them as long as she liked, but should she? Employed by a vet surgery while studying vet science made sense. Jeez. Her boat had never been rocked this much in her life. There were so many options to consider, so many decisions to make, and she hadn’t even been offered the job yet. Was she getting ahead of herself?

In ten minutes, she had her Honda parked and made her way to the surgery’s entrance. The next ten minutes could change the course of her life.

When she entered, a receptionist wearing a name tag with Jennifer looked up from her computer screen and greeted her warmly and with the obligatory, ‘How can I help you?’

“I’d like to apply for the vet nurse position advertised in the paper. Do you have an application form I can complete?”

A man with a stethoscope around his neck joined Jennifer and rifled through some paperwork on the desk.

“Don, do you know anything about the ad in this week’s paper? A vet nurse job?” Jennifer asked.

Don flicked a cursory glance at Erin. She squirmed but tried to maintain her professional poise and friendly smile.

Don straightened before reaching for a tray on a shelf. He picked up an envelope and passed it over. “Do you have any experience ah …”

“It’s Erin,” she said, extending her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Erin,” he said, shaking her hand. “Sorry to be so direct, but we’ve lost a couple of good staff. One pregnant and one leaving town.”

“I’m a fourth-year med student, but I’ll be changing to vet science mid-term. I can’t give you full-time hours, but I’ll manage what I can with my studies. That’s all I can offer.” Erin’s heart pumped inside her chest. She’d done it, made a commitment by speaking it out loud, and God help her, it felt good.

Don and Jennifer stared at her with looks of disbelief.

“Really?” Don said.

Erin shrugged. “Yes. Is there a problem? I’ve got a resume and all the uni documents, plus some referees. It’s all in here.” She pulled an A4 envelope from her handbag and handed it to Don.

“Can you start next week?” Don asked, sliding the papers from the envelope and running his eyes over her resume.

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